Roman Game Board Unearthed at Vindolanda

NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND—Chronicle Live reports that a rectangular stone board for the game Ludus latrunculorum has been uncovered at Vindolanda, the site of a Roman fort located just south of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. Two players would have moved game pieces made of pottery, glass, or stone around the board and attempted to surround and capture each other’s tokens. The board dates to the third century A.D., and is thought to have been reused as flooring in a building behind a bathhouse after it was broken. To read about another recent discovery at Vindolanda, go to “Hand of God.”